How I spend my time...

I found a place to volunteer in Sacramento. Here's the story...

The place is called Alternatives and it is a pregnancy resource center for women with unplanned pregnancies. I am a client advocate. We have signs up outside that offer free pregnancy tests so that is what women are coming in for. When they come in, they fill out a paper that gives us all their information including what they would choose to do if they are pregnant: parent, adoption, abortion or undecided.

After they fill out the paper, one of us client advocates brings them back to a counseling room and sits down to chat with them. We have a series of questions we have go through with them that gets some basic information about their cycles, birth control, previous pregnancies, etc. It sound pretty cut and dry so far but while we are going through the questions, we are doing our best to make the woman feel cared for and supported. A lot of times they open up and share information about some of the stress in their life and maybe some past decisions they are still dealing with. We are a Christian organization and we hope/pray that the woman would not choose to abort the baby but we in no way try to manipulate them to keep them from doing that.

After spending some time with the woman, she goes and takes her urine pregnancy test with either a nurse or she does it herself. If she's not pregnant, we have plenty of information to give them/talk through with them about STDs and their sexual choices. If it's positive, we offer free ultrasounds so they can come back and get to see their baby and hear the heartbeat. We also have a parenting class that she can go through if she qualifies. In that parenting class she has the opportunity to earn "mommy money" and shop in our "nook" that has tons of donated baby clothes, blankets, formula, baby food, etc. If the father of the baby is in the picture then they are encouraged to attend all of this with the mom.

I only volunteer once a week right now. I do pregnancy test appointments/walk-ins and am currently going through the parenting class with a girl who has a one month old baby. It is a blast. The other women who work and volunteer there are awesome and we have fun together while we're there. We pray a lot. The clients who come in are precious and I love getting to know them and help them. I love the opportunities we have to talk about God and show the women His love. It's a huge blessing and I am so thankful I found Alternatives!